Rich Man Poor Man
by TimlessNight
Summary: Feliciano is the poorest man in town and Ludwig is the richest. When they meet, Ludwig takes him in to prove he is not a heartless as he is thought to be. Do opposites really attract? Sadly, I don't own Hetalia.
1. Prologue

Everyone knew Feliciano Vargas.

Even though he was poor, he was popular with just about everybody. That "everybody" most certainly did not include Ludwig Beilschmidt.

Unlike Feliciano, he was the richest, and never would he be popular. He rarely left his house. When he did, he was cold and harsh. Feliciano was to summer as Ludwig was to winter. They were opposites.

Though, as they say . . . opposites attract.


	2. Chapter 1

Feliciano had always been clumsy, so it didn't surprise him when he tripped stepping off the sidewalk to cross the street. What did surprise him was the black jeep swerving into sight as he failed to catch himself. At the edge of his eyes, he could see people turning to watch the jeep make a run for Feliciano's head.

_CRACK! _Feliciano's head smacked down against the paved road and-much to Feliciano's surprise-started to ooze.

The jeep swerved, making the wheels scream against the concrete. Voices shouted as footsteps neared Feliciano.

"Qualcuno chiami un'ambulanza!" a voice shouted.

Suddenly sirens were wailing. Then Feliciano felt himself being lifted up and put down again on stretcher. _Oh no_, he thought. _I can't afford a hospital bill right now. And all those needles!_

Feliciano had developed a fear of hospital the way everyone else had; his nonno had died in one when Feliciano was little. On top of that was the needles and the blood, everywhere you looked. And now he was being taken to one himself.

As the doors shut, he could feel his eyes droop and close, leaving him alone in the darkness.

* * *

Ludwig was in still in shock. After all, he had just witnessed someone crack their head open. From tripping, no less. He hadn't thought such clumsiness possible. Yet it wasn't the blood that had bothered the German (he was in the army; he killed people often). For a reason still unknown, he cared about this one.

Ludwig knew he would be blamed for the accident by the townspeople and hated even more. But he could also take advantage of the situation to prove he was not as cold-hearted as he was thought to be.

Ludwig could only assume that was his logic as he followed the ambulance to the hospital.

* * *

**Authors Note: That would be chapter one for you guys. As you can see, I really like fancy language. And GerIta. And those stories where England does a spell that goes wrong. But that's beside the point.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Follow, favorite, review-all of which make me happy. Oh, last thing, I promise: the Italian used (because they're in Italy at the moment) is "Someone call an ambulance!" You're welcome for that time-saver.**

**-TN**


	3. Chapter 2

The first problem for Ludwig was waiting. Thankfully, he had plenty of patience. The boy in the accident was still getting stitches. So Ludwig came back the next day (though this time with clothes; he figured the boy didn't have clean ones here).

The second problem was the receptionist at her desk. "Only friends and family" was all she said. Everyone knew Ludwig was not welcome. But he put his foot down and refused to leave until he was allowed entrance. So it was entrance Ludwig got.

The third and final problem lied in the fact that the boy had absolutely no idea who Ludwig was. It wasn't like he had had a chance to do so as he almost ran the boy over. Ludwig had never been much of a fan of introductions anyways.

When Ludwig finally found and entered the boy's hospital room, the boy was smiling at the people down in the streets below as if very fond.

Ludwig cleared his throat awkwardly. "H-hello. You don't know me, but I'm Ludwig Beilshmidt. I almost ran you over earlier, so I came to apologize."

The boy grinned, giddy and excited. "Apology accepted! Now we can be friends, right?!"

"O-okay," Ludwig stuttered, surprise clear on his face.

"Ve~! Since we're friends, can I call you Luddy? Oh, my name's Feliciano, by the way! Feliciano Vargas!" he said. There was still a smile plastered to his face.

"You may call me L- . . . Luddy if you want."

"Ve~!"

That was when a doctor came in and said, "Mr. Vargas, you're free to leave now" before exiting the room.

"Do you want me to give you a ride home?" Ludwig asked after a period of silence.

Feliciano glanced at the cotton sheets in his lap and muttered, "Okay."

Ludwig had half a mind to ask why he seemed so reluctant, but dismissed the thought. It wasn't his right to be nosy about Feliciano's business. Instead he gave Feliciano the clothes he brought and instructed him to put them on in the bathroom.

When Feliciano was done, they left the building and Ludwig started up the jeep.

"Where do you live?" he asked Feliciano. The Italian muttered something._ I must have misheard him_, Ludwig thought. _That can't be right._

"What did you say?"

"I said I d-don't have a h-home," Feliciano said, then started to cry.

* * *

**Author's Note: See, I can't write anything fluffy. Everything's always depressing. I'm trying really hard, but I've got no ideas. I need a fluffy idea. Really. I do.**

**I got a bit tired of writing "the boy" over and over. This wasn't the best chapter, in my opinion. And I'm sorry the chapters are so short. It just means I update faster.**

**Where I live, emergency care is free, so if that's different from Italy, I'm sorry.**

**Please review!**

**-TN**


	4. Chapter 3

Feliciano didn't notice when Ludwig started to drive; he was still crying. "Luddy" had remained silent for the previous few minutes.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself," Luddy said, his voice as stern as if he were shouting.

Feliciano finally noticed: "Where . . . where are you taking me?!" He started to shake.

Luddy glanced over at him. "Relax, I'm just taking you to my house."

"W-why?"

"I can't exactly leave you out on the streets now that I know you're homeless. So I'm letting you stay at my house for one night."

"G-grazie!" A smile lit up his face once again, and Ludwig seemed to relax. Or at least be softer around the edges. Other than that, Luddy ignored Feliciano for a bit, turning off onto an old dirt road.

"Is this where you live? It's so pretty!" Feliciano said, his breath fogging the glass.

"You're making the glass dirty! You can stare when we get out," Luddy snapped, his voice a little obsessive, a little estranged.

"Sorry," he immediately apologized. "It's just, I don't like it when things get dirty."

Feliciano backed away from the glass, a little shaken. "It's okay~! I can clean it when we get there for you~!"

Luddy shook his head and insisted on cleaning it himself. "Besides," he added, "we're here."

Feliciano almost pressed his face up to the glass again before he could stop himself. He opened the car and jumped onto the stone walkway leading up to a pair of double doors guarding an elegant house. It seemed too far out of anyone's league. Feliciano couldn't help but gaze in silence, quite a feat for him.

Luddy strolled right ahead and opened the doors with keys from his pocket like it was an everyday luxury to live in such a house.

Feliciano followed shortly after in a dazed state. The whole thing seemed unreal to him. On the drive over, it was easy for him to pretend he wasn't going anywhere special. Then it had become next to impossible to ignore the facts.

Luddy started up the stairs, gesturing for Feliciano to come with. "The guest room's this way."

Upstairs there was a long hallway, with several rooms branching off. Luddy didn't bother to flick the hall light on as he turned and entered the first door on the left.

"I-is this my room?" Feliciano asked. He still had a little bit of shock in his system.

"Ja. The shower's the last door at the end of the hall on the right." Ludwig turned and left before Feliciano had a chance to thank him.

Feliciano laid down on the bed's soft comforter. He relaxed and started to doze.

Even if it was only for a day, Feliciano finally had a home.

* * *

**So now Italy has a home! Yay! ^-^**

**The cover for my other story is almost done; it just needs to be uploaded. But for this story, however. . . May I just say, some people owe me some work. LOTS of work.**

**This chapter is short, I know, but I didn't have much time to sit down and work. Sowwy. . .**

**Ciao~!**

**-TN**


	5. Chapter 4

Ludwig sat down in his office chair across the hall just moments after leaving Feliciano in the guest room. That face. . . It didn't matter, Ludwig finally decided. Anyone that knew Ludwig would be surprised to find _him_ lending out the guest room of his house. He blinked and tried to forget it.

Instead, Ludwig tried to focus on his computer. He stared at it for a while. Then stared some more. At some point, he thought he fell asleep still slumped in his chair. Ludwig decided an office chair wouldn't be the best place to sleep.

After this became clear, he stood, stretching like a cat and his arms spread wide.

Though when he slinked off, he looked nothing like a cat. His feet were gongs on the stairs as he stomped downstairs to the living room. Ludwig settled into his worn and comforting armchair as he squeezed the TV remote and brought the television to life. He continued to squeeze as the German-speaking channels changed, creating a different setting each time.

The German channels were a comfort to have in a place that spoke mostly Italian. It was always a struggle for Ludwig to keep up with the natives. Not that they spoke to each other much to begin with.

Ludwig stopped on _Verstehen Sie Spass. _He leaned back in the chair and soon fell into a state of unconsciousness.

Like a cat nap, Ludwig's sleep only lasted a short time. Because out of nowhere came a bang.

Ludwig stood, shifting on his feet. He was unsure about whether to go up to the guest room-what if Feliciano were to feel that his privacy was being invaded by Ludwig entering his room? Ludwig soon found himself at the top of the stairs, despite his worries.

"Feliciano?" he asked, his voice shaky and unsteady. "Are you okay?"

Again like a cat-what was it with Ludwig and cats all of a sudden?-Feliciano darted out of the guest room and wrapped his arms around Ludwig. Then Feliciano started to cry.

Ludwig jumped in surprise. He couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged or had someone cry on his shoulder.

"I'm s-cared to-oo go b-back to the-eh streets!" Feliciano said, hiccups mixing in with his sobs.

Ludwig was so shocked that he didn't think before saying, "You won't have to."

At least that stopped the crying. But Ludwig wasn't so sure what he had just promised.

"Wha-at?" Feliciano hiccupped , eyes big and round as he stared up at Ludwig.

Ludwig clenched his teeth as he turned on his heel and retreated back downstairs. But not before adding, "Let's get a cat.

* * *

**That's Chapter 4 for ya guys. Hope you enjoyed. ^-^**

**By the way, I still need a cover. . .**

**Okie, 'til next time! And I may start another story soon. . .which will be yet another thing I forget to update. . .**

**Please review, I really enjoy those! ^-^**

**-TN**


	6. Chapter 5

Feliciano was still a little confused as to why they were getting a cat. Wasn't Feliciano just going to leave again the next day? Maybe Ludwig had been wanting a cat for a while and he was letting Feliciano help him choose.

Yeah, that had to be it. Feliciano couldn't imagine someone as rich as Luddy would want to take someone like Feliciano in. They barely knew each other, but Feliciano doubted they had anything in common. And yet he was being taken to get a cat.

The car drive was an awkward one. Luddy seemed comfortable in the silence, but Feli had never enjoyed such situations. If he was being honest with himself, it bothered him to not hearing Luddy's voice. He had grown used to it, even after such a short time. It was becoming more and more of a necessity every day. But Feli couldn't get too attached if he was just going back to the streets. The feeling was constant in his mind, no matter how far it was pushed back.

Before, Feliciano had sometimes tried to pretend he was going on an adventure, and that was why he had no home. After a while, Feli got tired of adventures. He wanted a real home. One that he could go back to every night and sleep in a clean, warm, protected bed that no one could take from him.

It was thoughts like these that kept him distracted from the silence as they soon arrived at the shelter.

Luddy and Feli both hopped out and slammed their doors. Feli started to bounce, which developed into a jump. Luddy was as stoic as ever. Though Feli's energy seemed to start to rub off on him just a little bit.

The pair set off on their quest for a suitable cat. At some point, Feli wandered away from Luddy when he saw an adorable kitten. His heart swelled and knew Luddy would get the cat, no matter how much Feli had to beg.

Somehow he found Luddy a few rows over, even though it seemed like he had vanished.

"Luddy, Luddy~!" Feli chanted. "Come see this kittie!"

Luddy grumbled a bit but followed despite his gripes. When he saw the cat, it was back to the complaints. "You want to get _this _cat? Its fur is the color of dirt!" Luddy said, sending cracks into Feli's heart as he did so.

Feli, being an easy crier, started to tear up at this comment. "You. . .really don't like him? I thought you would!" The sprinkle became a full on thunderstorm right then.

Luddy patted Feli's back and sighed. "We can get the cat."

Feli did not fail to miss the specific "we" Luddy refered to. "Really?! Grazie!"

"What's its name?" Luddy asked.

"Um. . .uh. . .Pookie!" Feli blurted. But then it suddenly grew roots in him.

Luddy eyed him. "Erm, Pookie it is, then."

A German and Italian walked out together with a kitten between them. What an unlikely pair.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is a bit overdue . . . Okay, a lot. But it's not my fault (completely-blame Doctor Who)! I didn't start this until. . .today, really. Heh . . . Sowwy.**

**Not a lot of dialogue in this. Hopefully more later. Easy to write. Mostly . . .**

**And, hibachi! Yay! ^-^ Reservations made for tomorrow! I'm finally celebrating my birthday! ^-^ Like, two weeks late, I might add. *This is my emo corner.***

**Still. Waiting. For. Cover. Must. Fight. Urge. . .to strangle LoolieRocksLobster for owing me a cover. And being late.**

**I should go to bed now. It's almost morning. Heh, oops.**

**Anyway, pleeeeeease review, 'cause I never get to people who favorite/follow. I'M SORRY! I'm innocent, remember.**

**-TN**


	7. Chapter 6

Feli-_Feliciano_ didn't notice as almost a week past. At least, that was how it seemed to Ludwig.

But apparently that wasn't it. Feliciano came up to him one afternoon as Ludwig was leaving his office without even a hint of a smile on his face.

"Why haven't you kicked me out yet?"

The question caught Ludwig off guard. "Wha-what do you mean?" In all honesty, he wasn't all that sure himself why Feliciano wasn't gone.

"I was only supposed to stay for a night. And you let me stay for-for a whole week!" Feliciano tightened his fists around Pookie the cat who was quietly purring in Feliciano's warm-hearted embrace.

"I . . . don't know. It just happened, I guess," Ludwig said, closing his door and turning away from Feliciano as he walked coolly down to back porch. It was a beautiful day, and he didn't plan to waste it.

Ludwig had noticed the other day; his step seemed to be getting lighter. Like he was happier, in some way. It couldn't be at the fault of this newcomer to his life, could it? No, they barely knew each other.

"So, I mean, not to pressure you, but, um-" Feliciano stuttered.

"What?" Ludwig asked. Somewhat harshly. He felt guilt pinch in his gut.

"AmIstayingpermanently?!"

"What?"

"D-do I get to stay . . . for-forever?" Feliciano asked.

Ludwig sighed. "Forever is a pretty big promise to make, you know."

"Please? I just need to know!" He looked on the verge of tears, which seemed to be happening a lot recently. Was he always like this? Either happy or sad, never in the middle? Ludwig could only guess so.

Feliciano's face seemed to melt a little more as Ludwig took longer and longer to answer, and with it, Ludwig's heart.

"Forever. I promise."

What?

He-

They-

Since when did Ludwig melt so easily?

But, in a way, it was worth it. To see the glow on Feliciano's face that none others could hope to match in a thousand years.

"Ve~! Grazie~! Or, well, I guess it'd be danke where you come from~!" Feliciano cheered.

The German stared blankly, not expecting the sudden use of his native tongue.

Taking the silence as a request of explanation, Feliciano said, "Well, I figured I should learn some of your language since you let me stay so long!"

Ludwig was beyond shock. Feliciano had done this, just for him. Ludwig couldn't remember the last time someone had done something so sweet.

Keeping up his sweet streak, Feliciano suddenly lunged forward and gripped Ludwig's hand eagerly and started to pull him towards the door. "Come on~! It's so beautiful outside, let's go play~!"

Ludwig felt his face heat like a stove top. He wasn't all that used to physical contact, his best friend growing up being a little Japanese boy who was always very refined. But he wasn't so sure he minded that much. Feliciano holding his hand, that would be.

Ludwig allowed himself to slow down for once and enjoy himself.

A little fun and some down time couldn't hurt him all that much, now, could it?

* * *

**Author's Note: Hahaha, you thought something was gonna happen there, didn't you? Well, I guess a few things DID happen...**

**This was supposed to be written Friday, but I wrote a new chapter for TTLG, so... I have plenty more stories I want to add, too. More things that I will forget to add on to. I WILL FORGIVE MYSELF THROUGH MY AWESOME WRITING.**

**I'm also supposed to be reading a story right now...among some other stuff. I'll get to that someday. *sigh* I used to not hate school because of how much work we get. Just because it was boring. I was so naive. I WOULD LOVE TO GO BACK TO PRESCHOOL AND RE-LEARN MY LETTERS.**

**I think I'll just go do something now...besides sit in the same pose for an hour as I type.**

**-TN**


	8. Chapter 7

Feli's stomach let out a soft but angry roar.

Luddy glanced up from his garden where he had been weeding seconds ago. "Do you want me to make you dinner? It's-" Ludwig glanced down at his leather wristwatch "-six o'clock; time for dinner anyways."

"I'll make you food! If it's any way to repay you!" Feli said earnestly. He honestly didn't mind, and besides, Feli enjoyed cooking, so it would be fun to cook for Luddy.

"Well, I guess you can. . ." Luddy seemed hesitant.

"What's wrong?"

"I. . . It doesn't appeal to me to have a mess made in my kitchen," Luddy said. Feli remembered the drive to the house, when Luddy had snapped at him for breathing on the windows of the car. Feli didn't really want to be yelled at-hey, who did?

"Okay. Let's go out to eat, then~! I know some really good places!"

Luddy rose to his full height and shifted around on the toes of his feet. "I don't know. . ."

"C'mon, it'll be fun~!"

"I'm not really a fan of Italian food, no offense. I like more of the sausage and potato kind of foods."

Feli gasped dramatically, and froze for a moment, then burst straight back into his usual babble: "Well, then, you obviously haven't gone to the right place!"

Luddy finally sighed and shrugged in defeat. "Alright. Where is this restaurant of yours?"

"Ve~! It's a date~! Let's go~!"

"A date?" Luddy asked, but Feli missed the look of surprise on his face. He had already begun his run around to the front of the house where the black jeep that had started the whole fiasco was parked. He hopped in, and so did Luddy, when he caught up. No one can run faster than Feli when he's hungry and food is being offered.

Luddy started the car and turned in his seat to face his bouncing . . . friend. "So. How do we get to this place?"

"Well, uh, don't you have a, um, JPS?" Feli asked uncertainly, like he didn't know exactly what he was saying.

". . . You mean a GPS?" Luddy scrutinized him.

"Uh, yeah!" He laughed a little forcefully. "That's what I meant. It's called Bianchi's. Can you, erm, find it?"

"Yeah. Haven't you ever seen a GPS before?"

"W-well, I'm h-homeless, remember?" Feli stuttered, feeling cornered and flustered.

Luddy blushed. "I-I'm sorry, I forgot." He turned forward again and shifted the car into gear. "Let's just go to dinner."

Feli tried to tame his embarrassment at his own stupidity as they rode on by pinching his hand. By the time they arrived, his hand was red in that area. Feli shoved it in his pocket and prayed Luddy wouldn't notice if he had to use that hand.

He followed Luddy into the pizzeria, close enough to be a shadow. The owners of the restaurant knew Feli pretty well; they let him loiter since they knew he had nowhere else to go. It was the first place he had come looking for a job after. . . No, Feli had resolved not to think about it, and he wouldn't start now.

But the Bianchi family hadn't had any openings. It was family run, so all the jobs were filled by members of the family. No one else was needed, because the lot of them was so big. There was Abrielle, Salvatorio, Matteo, Horatia, Leone, and the two parents, Sabrina and Dominico. Somehow, Feli managed to memorize all their names and nicknames and ages and interests by heart.

The building was completely brick. The air was stuffy inside, even with the multiple fans running overhead from the fires used to cook the pizza.

They were greeted at the door by Abrielle, who was 17. Only two years younger that Feli, she was pretty and sweet and gentle and everything you'd expect to see in someone perfect. That was on the outside, though. Inside, Abrielle could still be sweet. It's only that she was sweet in a very violent way.

"Feliciano. Someone else. I heard about the accident. Is this your boyfriend?" she asked in a monotone with a bored expression to match, only a slight wrinkle of her nose at the word boyfriend. Feli ignored it. "Table 27."

As Feli trudged over to the table she had assigned them, he replied, "Not my boyfriend" with a shy smile.

She seemed to show a little more interest at details of their relationship, as she raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh?"

This only made Feli blush more. He hoped Luddy didn't notice. Luddy probably couldn't have seen anyways. His seat was angled away from Feli when he blushed.

Feli sat down across from Luddy already knowing exactly what he wanted. "Chicken alfredo with a water and pizza frita for desert, please," he said before he could even be handed a menu..

Abrielle scribbled in a notebook and gave Luddy a menu before sauntering off to the kitchen.

"What's good?" Luddy asked. "I mean, besides the chicken alfredo."

Feli thought for a moment. "The pizza's always good. Unless you don't like flat crust. They put all kinds of things on the pizzas!" His excitement escalated as he continued to blab about Italian foods while Luddy stared at him intently. He talked so long, when Abrielle came back, she chose for Luddy. After waiting for five minutes for Feli to stop talking, no less.

He talked through the whole dinner and barely touched his food, ending up with a to-go box in each hand (one for the pasta and one for the pizza frita). Feli's speech slowed when they got back in the car, having now run out of things to talk about bnot his point.

"Hey, Luddy?" Feli asked softly.

Luddy wrinkled his nose at the nickname. "Ja?"

"Thank you for tonight. It was really nice." Feli leaned his head against the window and thought he heard an "I liked it, too" before his eyes shut and locked him into a peaceful, happy sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: This was kind of just a fun chapter I added for personal amusement. Not much purpose in this. I've been wanting to have Feli cook for Luddy since the beginning (which ended up not happening), but I also realized this story didn't have much flirting or stuff like that. I guess that's a good thing, because you don't want the characters to fall in love right away. And they've only known each other for a week.**

**WOAH, BIG PARAGRAPH. OKAY.**

**I really haven't outlined an actually plot (like I have for the rest of my stories . . . with lots of details), so I'm just going into this as blindly as everyone else. THE CHARACTERS HAVE CONSUMED MY SOUL.**

**And yes, pizza frita is good. Pizza dough fried and rolled in powdered sugar. Bianchi's is a real place. My family owns it, actually...but it's not my family in the story.**

**Moving on, I went to perform with my awesome jazz/piano skills with my band. I really don't like early mornings. If I could, I'd probably be nocturnal. This thing I had, it went from 6:45 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. But I got sugar, so who cares, right?**

**For HetaFruitsOuranHp321: Wanna guess where I went? Somewhere special. Think sugar. Well known place.**

**For LoolieRocksLobster: You already know where I went, so I don't really have to tell you, do I?**

**All my other Internet Friends (that means anyone I've talked too online): Wubbbbbb youuuuu**

**Okay, I'm done now with my obnoxiously long author's note. Thanks to those who read, I guess. . .**

**-TN**


	9. Chapter 8

Feli woke up to the sound of his stomach growling. Hadn't he had dinner last night? Oh, that's right, he had talked through dinner.

He stood and stumbled, half-blind, towards the kitchen. Something smelled. Eggs? Ham? And . . . burnt toast? A voice in the kitchen cursing.

Feli rubbed his eyes and tried to shake off the sleepiness. He saw Luddy throwing several black bread slices into the trash can under the sink. A plate of eggs and sliced ham sat on the counter, still steaming.

Luddy looked up at Feli as he entered the kitchen. "Sleep well?" he asked.

"Great!" Feli said.

"I made breakfast." Luddy gestured to the plate on the counter. "And burnt some toast." He frowned to himself a little.

"Thanks!" Feli cheered, fully awake at the mention of food finally. "It looks delicious!"

Luddy shifted his feet. "It seemed. . . I thought you might like a German breakfast, since you seem to be so interested in food. And you skipped dinner last night, so I figured you'd be hungry."

"It looks delicious!" Feli barely noticed as Luddy watched him scarf down the meal. He stood with his plate, about to clear it as Pookie appeared, purring and rubbing against his legs. Of course, Feli (being as clumsy as he is) had to stumble over the cat, slip, and land on the cold, hard floor.

But it wasn't the cold, hard floor that he felt. Feli opened his eyes slowly to see Luddy's face inches from his. "Uh. . ." was all he could manage to choke out. Luddy had his hands on Feli's back, and they were in a dip like the end of a ballroom dance. It reminded him of that one time. . .

No.

He promised himself-there was no going back. It didn't matter how long it had been; it was still too painful, even after this long.

Next thing Feli knew, he was crying. Streams flowed down his cheeks silently. He looked up again at Ludwig and saw his face scrunched up in concern. But there was no way Feli would tell him what was wrong.

And then, instead of asking what was wrong like Feli expected, Luddy leaned over the last few inches and hugged Feli tight, like he never wanted to let go. Like there was so much compassion it hurt.

Feli shook his head. He couldn't take it. No. No, no, no. In a sudden movement, he pushed Ludwig away. Not waiting, much less wanting, to see the look of hurt on Ludwig's face, Feli ran as fast as he could to his room and locked the door behind him.

He wondered how long he had. To be in this nice, beautiful home. With someone so nice and caring.

Feli wondered how long he had until the past caught up with him.

* * *

**Author's Note: So not exactly the accidental kiss you were looking for, huh? Oh, and you've gotta slow down for the last line. Dramatic effect and all.**

**Remember, I have no plot or goal for this. It kind of goes wherever I'm in the mood for. I was listening to someone play slow music on the piano, so this is what you get.**

**PLEASE READ AND RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING:**

**Would you rather I write a oneshot CanadaxAmerica or multi-chapter PruCan?**

**Ciao~!**

**-TN**


	10. Chapter 9

There was a knock on the door for about the hundredth time that week. "Feliciano! Open up!" Ludwig shouted.

That just made Feliciano cry harder. He'd gotten Ludwig angry at him. Idiot, he thought. Ludwig probably never cared about him. Feliciano was just a charity case. That was all he'd ever be.

"Feli! . . . _Please_! Don't ignore me! I. . . You're . . . my only friend! Stop shutting me out, dammit, I _care_! I want to help!" This was new. Usually, Ludwig just yelled at Feliciano to come out. "I know I get angry and yell and– All I want is to help you. I miss you, Feliciano." His voice grew softer at the last sentence.

"I miss you, too," Feliciano whispered under his breath so Ludwig couldn't hear.

"What's so bad that you can't even tell me?" Ludwig's voice cracked a little. It made Feliciano wondered if he'd imagined it.

Feliciano couldn't take any more. He stood and crossed the room to the door. "I miss you, too," Feliciano repeated, louder this time. He pressed the side of his face to the door.

Silence followed.

Feliciano unlocked opened the door, finally, to see Ludwig standing there with the most hope-filled expression Feliciano had ever seen on anyone.

"I'll tell you. I'm gay. And that's not accepted in Italy."

Ludwig looked shocked. "I—. . ."

Feliciano sat down on the carpeted floor of the hallway with a sigh. He didn't like all this seriousness. Might as well get it over with.

"My parents died just after I was born. I lived with my Nonno for a while, but then he died, too. I was in foster care and jumped from home to home for a while until Roderich and Elizaveta adopted me. Eliza was nice, I guess, but Roderich. . . He was a little mean, but he was my father for a while and all I had. He played piano really well, though. I liked to listen to him play. I used to have several older brothers, including a twin, but I got separated from them. My twin, Lovino, is gay, too. At least, as far as I know.

"Anyways, I was bullied a lot for being gay. There was this one boy. . ." Feliciano paused for a minute. "He always chased me when we were little. Then in high school, he asked me out." That was it. Feliciano couldn't say anything else without bursting into tears.

He could feel Ludwig's gaze on him. "Why did you. . . What made you start crying when I caught you?" Ludwig asked hesitantly.

"Because . . . that's how he used to dance with me," Feliciano said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"You really miss him don't you?" Ludwig asked, to which Feliciano could only nod. "Then what happened?"

"H-he left!" Feliciano started to sob. "He t-told me i-it was h-his d-duty t-to join the a-army, and he w-went M-I-A!" Feliciano let all of his feelings out in those tears as Ludwig patted his back comfortingly.

Feliciano cried until there was nothing left but an empty shell asleep across the lap of someone who _cared_, for once, in a hallway that could be called home.

**Author's Note: Feli's a little OOC and serious, don't ya think?**

**Anyways, I've been riding in the car all day with only my laptop and iPod (Vampire Weekend, anyone?) to entertain me.**

**Ugh, you're lucky I posted this. I was holding it over LoolieRocksLobsters's head that I wouldn't post it. . .**

**AND I GOT THIS AWESOME SHIRT THAT SAYS "Ciao bella -Italia." Believe it or not, it's not a Hetalia shirt. Strange. . .**

**-TN**


	11. Chapter 10

Ludwig could tell Feli was still upset, even days after he'd "come out of the closet," as they say.

Ludwig had done the best he could to cheer Feli up. He was certainly cheerful again like his old self, but it was obvious that more than half the smiles Feli wore were as fake as Sasquatch. Meaning, completely and utterly unrealistic.

The failure-ness of it hardly held a chance of discouraging Ludwig from trying to cheer Feli up. He'd attempted to make a traditional Italian dinner and everything. Only it tasted horrible.

"I like it," Feli assured. Though it wasn't assuring at all.

"I can barely choke it down."

Feli pushed the food around his plate as if he might find something hidden underneath. Then he fumbled a bit and food splattered on Ludwig's face, making him giggle.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you?" Ludwig growled, making Feli look nervous.

"Uh. . . Um, well. . ." he said.

Ludwig picked up his own spoonful of food and flicked it at Feli. "Now it is!" He laughed.

"Maybe it'll taste better now!" Feli licked a little off his chin. "Nope, still just as horrible."

He grinned-a _real_ grin, finally-and threw more food at Ludwig, which Ludwig threw back, until they were in a full-on food fight. When they ran out of cooked food, they rummaged the cabinets and fridge. Ludwig, being the one who actually worked out daily, got to the cabinets first. He thought that gave him the advantage, but no.

Feli had the liquids.

Ludwig immediately realized his mistake. But it was too late, Feli had already laid claim to the fridge.

Feli used things like ketchup, while Ludwig was stuck using uncooked pasta and the like. Until he got to the back of the cabinet. He was blessed with three weapons of mass destruction.

Ludwig flashed a malicious grin as he pulled out a spoon and approached slowly across the kitchen floor. With a jar of Nutella and and jar of peanut butter tucked under an arm, the caps screwed off, and a spoon in hand, he was a force to be reckoned with.

But Feli had a secret weapon of his own. From behind him, he brought out a beer and a bottle cap opener. Ludwig stopped in his tracks.

"You wouldn't."

"Isn't this one of the world's most famous beers? You know, that one from Belgium?" Feli asked, twirling the bottle in his fingers. "You're aging it, aren't you? It's got a layer of dust."

"F-for a f-few y-years," Ludwig stuttered. If he opened that beer. . .

"How about if. . ." Feli thought for a little while as Ludwig held his breath in silence. "How about if you go on a date with me?"

"Fine. J-just put the b-beer d-down."

Feli smiled and put the bottle away before walking off. Ludwig sat back down at the table and could only think:

Well, it was certainly an entertaining day.

* * *

**Author's Note: Happy dance! I'm all caught up for this story!**

**You people who know your beers, please tell me what beer I'm talking about. It's killing me.**

**Anyway, thank you, Guest, for pointing out what I forgot to mention. Yes, this sounds like another HRE=Germany theory fic, but alas, it is not. I'm completely dedicated to that idea. Unfortunately, Holy Rome is dead and gone.**

**I'm working on getting THREE more stories up and running, AND catch up on past missed chapters. Oh, and my collab needs working on. So, sadly, I'm dedicating Fridays (from now on) to this story.  
**

**Okay, happy thoughts! Yay! Um, uh. . .**

**Dunno what that was. Anyway, I'm hoping to get at least one of my other stories up tonight, so you can go to my profile to find those~! Oh, yeah, apologies for the weird pairings that show up in some of them. . .**

**-TN**


	12. Chapter 11

Just when things started looking better, things went wrong. Of course. Luddy completely forgot that he was only stationed in Italy for so long. He had to go back to Germany.

The call came as he was finishing dinner with Feli. He left, and when he came back, Luddy had no idea what to do or what to say.

Finally, Feli asked, "Luddy. . . What's wrong?"

At that point, Luddy had been subconsciously mumbling into his plate. "Oh, I. . . I'm sorry, Feliciano, there's no real way to say this. I. . . My job makes me move around a lot."

He glanced up to see the trembling of Feli. It . . . _hurt_.

"You're leaving me, aren't you?" Feli asked.

"I don't know." Luddy sighed, rubbing his face with a hand and standing. "I've got to go pack." And Luddy left, without another word. To his room, that is.

What was Luddy supposed to do? And what was if he felt? It was. . . It was pain, it was something tight in his chest. Like heartburn. But it was also warm and fuzzy and. . . All that Ludwig could think about-no, _wanted_ to think about-was Feli. Feli. It sounded nice on the tongue, don't you think?

Gah, Luddy had to stop thinking like this. No. He was leaving. He didn't have a choice. Luddy wasn't going to fall in love. No. There was no such thing.

But hadn't he promised forever? And in that, subconsciously, Luddy had promised his heart as well.

He sat in his room for hours with his head in his hands, going back and forth in his head. _I love him, I love him not_.

It was slightly hopeless, Luddy finally realized, just like love. Love was simply . . . there. A part of everyone and everything. There was no hiding from it. He just had to face it. Yeah. He could do that.

Luddy wiped his hands on his pants as he walked back downstairs.

"Feliciano. I want you to come with me."

Feli looked up from washing plates. "Huh? Oh, really?! I'd really love that!" It seemed that both their days had suddenly brightened.

"What made up your mind?" Feli asked, starting to dry. "Oh, and where are we going?!"

"Feli. . . I love you."

* * *

**Author's Note: I feel like I've made Feli a bit of a crybaby in this story. And it's almost over! Wahhhh!**

**I know I never clarified what Luddy's job actually is. I'm not actually sure myself. . . We'll just say he's a military general. ****And, yeah, I missed the cutoff for the story. . .**

**So, peoples, review, comment, whatever you wanna call it. Just go. Now. Or else.**

**-TN**


	13. Chapter 12

Luddy wasn't expecting Feli to smash into him, much less kiss him! Luddy was so surprised that he fell backwards.

Feli fell with him, and lifted up from the kiss he'd given giggling. The smile on Feli's face made Luddy smile, too. It was just . . . beautiful.

Luddy's lips were cold without Feli kissing them. So he reached up and pulled Feli back down to him.

"Ich liebe Dich. . . I love you," he whispered breathlessly when they pulled away from each other again.

Feli smiled and said, "Ti amo."

The lovers laid there for an eternity.

* * *

Church bells rang that day in Germany. The Italian and the German stood together at the altar, holding hands, staring with love at each other. It was magical.

It didn't matter that Luddy was atheist, even though the couple was getting married in a Roman Catholic church. Nothing mattered, in that moment, besides their love for each other.

Feliciano went first to say his vows. "Luddy, Ludwig, ti amo! I want to be together forever, okay? Don't leave me, and I won't leave you!" He rambled on, Luddy soaking in every word of it.

Then Luddy's turn came, and he shifted nervously. "Feli. . . I haven't known you for very long, hardly a few weeks. But I feel like . . . I'm certain we'll be together forever. We'll keep learning things as we go, together. And there's no way I'd rather do it, or with anyone else I'd rather be with. It's you I will always love, Feliciano," Luddy said.

"Do you, Feliciano Vargas, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked.

"Si!" Feli said with a grin that Luddy could only mirror and agree as the priest asked him the same question.

Then they kissed, and the wedding bells rung louder and happier than ever before.

* * *

**Author's Note: ERR MER GERRRRD~! IT'S THE ENDDDDD~! MWUAHAHAHAHAHA~! You guys think I should make an epilogue? I see children. . .**

**Yeah, I skipped describing the kiss, 'cause I'm not sure how that'd go. . . And I've obviously never written wedding vows before. Heh.**

**Thanks to all those who've commented~! ****I've got a few other stories going on if you wanna read some more of my stuff~! Please do~!**

**Well, goodbye . . . FOR NOW~.**

**-TN**


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